The boy who brought home all cheers

It’s 10 a.m. and Mom asks her boy, “Don’t you remember?” It is something the Mummy seldom asks him. Charlie seems to be engrossed in watching cartoons that he chooses now and then. Why such a question to a four-year-old? He does not have to remember or recall. There’s mom to do the parenting and dad to pet.

Yet, Mom had to put him to a question, which was beyond his mental capacity to answer. A rare sickness causes him to forget things around him quite quickly. The world is as natural for all but not for Charlie who is forgetful most time. He has his tiny world which is embedded in his little heart that no one ever can get through.

The very joyful day was for all kids but not for Charlie. All his friends and cousins remember their birthdays which is second nature for them. But Charlie cannot remember the same. For awakening him in different situations, Mom, Dad, and teachers aid him.

It’s a bright Sunday and the parents had to travel to Charlie’s cousin which is what they do every week; but this time, it is not the same and Mrs Parker has no heaps and bounds to fulfil her week-long wish.

All was set to head off to the place as planned. What good news for the family, celebrating their little heart’s tiny birthday!

There came the moment of the cake cutting when Mom realized she left the candles in the car. But Dad remembers he left them in one of the suitcases. They began an argument as to where the candles might be lying. But what about the little one? Not waiting for the cake? In reality, the tiny little one knew only the delicious piece of cake right in front of him.

While the argument went on, they did not guess if little Charlie, also called Sam, could have been of help. The child although forgetful, remembered the sign of the disappearance of the parents from the scene. On any birthday the cake wants candles to blow off. Sam found a kind of incompleteness of beauty missing in the cake without the candles.

The poor parents started to reason out what to do. ‘What shall we do now, Tom? said, Mom.

“The candles are the grandparents’ gift that we get every year. I feel the celebration will be incomplete otherwise.”

This being said, they returned to the room to know his whereabouts. To their astonishment, he stood in front of Mom holding the candles in hand to give her, as it is usually common for a young child to transfer things to hands involuntarily.

The Mom, unable to believe her eyes, poured out kisses for him. His Dad showered praise, “My lad is a cute cub”. They never wanted Charlie to experience himself being separated by his parents from the rest of the kids and so they were extra precarious about rearing him with his disorder. He didn’t know about it either.

The birthday party started with the burst of a piston and the little one, as a natural occurrence, did what his Mom prompted him. Candles were blown off. The cake cutting was successful.

Mr. and Mrs. Parker ordered the cake from the special and Grand Simpson’s Bakery, one of the popular bakers in town. The parents were a wealthy family and could afford the most elegant cake.

But above all, the kid has a special dimension within him which people feel is a special attraction-he intervenes and stands out to be helpful during strange situations.

For his parents, it was his young one’s big day but not for him; he has his world of reality. According to Charlie, a birthday comes because you are happy and Mommy and Daddy kiss their little one with love. He could not differentiate between others’ and his birthday.

At school, he is praised for his timely response to many kinds of situations like that of the birthday candles. A similar thing happened one day. When the teacher asked his little student where you get money from, he said innocently “My Mom puts it in her purse.” The teacher immediately remembered she forgot her car keys which she had lost hope of in her handbag, ever since her attempts to find the key failed that morning.

The teacher asked him one day where his house was for which Charlie said he has to sit in a car to find his house. While in the school with parents’ supervision the other children knew where they lived and answered them right away.

Despite Charlie’s rare condition, the parents felt he was a blessing in disguise for those who wanted a lovely pet and no doubt he was. He was a favourite of his schoolmates too.

The teachers have a crisp time with the ‘little genius’ as they have termed him.

One morning Mom asked Charlie ‘Do you want to eat an omelette or bread and jam?’ Then Charlie’s answer was bread and jam.

Dad said he had eaten the same the day before. “Why don’t you give him an omelette today for protein?” he demanded.

Mom said, “No I gave an omelette to him yesterday and he made a choice today.”

Then Charlie started applying jam on his bread and began to dig into it. The Mom and Dad argued the next day about making a better choice.

Tom, I shall prepare bread toast. Would it be fine? Then he said lovingly “Toast with butter please.” But little Charlie chose his bread with jam. So, an idea flashed to Mom’s mind. Oh, my cutie pie! He has not chosen what Mom prepared for almost a week now.

She shared a light moment with her husband immediately. Our lad ate only bread and jam for a week. Did we argue on Monday?

Dad smiled at Charlie and handed him a candy he got home a while ago.

All smiles! The boy lived in his tiny world. For him bread and jam were tasty and he ate to his heart's content!